Page 71 of Finally Loved

“Oh, but it is yours?”

“Absolutely not. See, unlike you, I actually care about Neve and what she wants, not simply what I can control her into doing.”

Charlie slammed her hands onto the table. “Don’t you dare imply I don’t care about her. I’ve been here longer than you have.”

Alba watched her with raised eyebrows. “You can’t claim dibs on a person. You’d do well to remember that. Especially when you’ve made no effort at all to apologize to her.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

Alba looked around exaggeratedly. “Oh, is Neve here too? Didn’t know I should be expecting her.”

Charlie leaned in closer. “I’ll never know what she sees in you.”

“I could have said the same thing to you.”

Something flickered across Charlie’s face and she backed away slightly. Alba didn’t understand it, but part of her did enjoy it, just a little. Perhaps not her best moment, but Charlie had hurt Neve and Alba had little patience for that.

Charlie took a deep breath. “Alice left her pancakes and a note. She just ignored them. She’s barely even staying at home. Guess I don’t need to ask if she’s staying at yours.”

Neve had actually been at home about fifty percent of the time since her verbal altercation with Charlie. Even now, Charlie seemed to be barely paying attention to her.

Though she was correct about where Neve was when she wasn’t home.

“If Neve isn’t telling you where she’s going, I don’t think it’s any of your business, is it?” Alba asked.

“She isn’t talking to me,” Charlie said again, gritting her teeth.

“And why might that be?”

“I told you, I’m here. And Alice—”

“Yeah, yeah, left her pancakes. Which, given what Alice has been going along with is barely enough apology from her, let alone from you. And now you’re here, talking tome.Why? Youthink I’m going to apologize for you? Tell Neve everything’s better because you went to all the people around her and got them to manipulate her into forgiving you? I don’t think so.”

“She’s my friend. I deserve—”

“No, she’s not. She’s someone you’ve been keeping around to control. She’s the victim and you’re the perpetrator. You don’t deserve shit.” Alba stared at her. “The good news, however, is that Neve is strong, and she’s breaking free of you. The best thing you can do is leave her alone.”

“I’ve known her a lot longer than you have.”

“Oh, Charlie, we’ve already been over this, haven’t we? Can’t call dibs on a person. Longevity means nothing if you’ve barely been paying attention to who someone is, if you’ve been abusing them, and if you attack them the second they start to break free of you.”

She leaned across the table at Alba again. “I knew you were trouble from the minute I met you.”

“Hm. Care to share why? What heinous crime did I commit that made you hate me so?”

“You took advantage of someone who was weak.”

“Says more about you than it does about me if that’s how you think about her.” Alba’s blood felt like it was boiling. She hadn’t picked Charlie for the cartoon villain type, but here she was.

“She’d just been dumped, of course she was weak. And you just swept in trying to pick up a girlfriend without knowing anything about her or the situation.”

Alba stood up, face to face with Charlie. “Firstly, she was a strong woman in a weak moment. Secondly, she needed someone to be there for her, and I was. There was no taking advantage of her. She needed a friend. That’s all I was. And thirdly, she has always deserved better friends than you two were to her. Neve finally realizing that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with your treatment of her.”

“You still don’t know?”

Alba’s stomach turned uncomfortably. “Know what?”

Charlie straightened up, smiling slightly. “She isn’t going to give you what you want. It doesn’t matter if she’s interested in you—”

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